Monday, November 12, 2001

GREYHOUNDS TO RUN AT NATIONALS FOR 9^TH STRAIGHT YEAR

BETHLEHEM, PA --- With their second straight first place finish at last weekend's NCAA Division III Mideast Regional hosted by Muhlenberg College at Lehigh University's Goodman Campus, the Moravian College women's cross country team has qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships for the ninth straight season.

The Greyhounds, which have also won their ninth consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference Championship, are one of two teams that will represent the Mideast Region at the national meet to be hosted by the Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois this Saturday, November 17th.  In its last eight appearances in the national race, Moravian, which is coached by 15-year head coach Mark Will-Weber, has finished in the top ten five times.  The best finish for the Greyhounds was in 1993, and 1995 when the squad was third overall.  Moravian has also finished fourth in 1994, the year the Bethlehem school hosted the national meet, fifth a year ago in Spokane, Washington, eighth in 1997, 13th in 1996, 14th in 1998 and 20th in 1999.

Moravian is currently ranked third for the second straight week in the latest NCAA Division III National Poll after being ranked as the top team in the country for six weeks earlier this season.

Leading this year's team is a quartet of seniors.  At the head of the pack has been Heidi Wolfsberger (Moosic, PA/Riverside HS), won both the Mideast Regional race and the MAC Championship, the second time since 1994 a Moravian runner has won both races.  Wolfsberger, whose best time of the season was at the regional in 17:52.37, accomplished the same feat last year.  She has won her last three races and a total of five meets this season while placing in the top five of all eight meets this year.  Wolfsberger is a three-time MAC Champion, four-time All-MAC and All-Region runner.

Emily Shertzer (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin HS)< also earned All-Region and All-MAC accolades for the third straight season after placing third in the regional and second in the MAC meet.  Shertzer's best time of the year was 18:13.10 at the regional.

Moravian had five other runners earn All-MAC and All-Mideast Region honors.  Senior Kim Jaick (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) was fourth at the Mideast Regional in a season best 18:17.55 and placed sixth at the MAC Championships.  Jaick won the Lehigh Valley Championship race at Lehigh early in the season.  Senior Erin Boyle (Philadelphia, PA/Nazareth Academy) also ran her best time of the year last weekend in Mideast Regional at 18:29.82, good enough for fifth place.  Boyle finished third in the MAC meet.

Rounding out the top seven for the Greyhounds this season have been freshman Chelsea Mullins (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe HS), freshman Heather McGarvie (Medford, NJ/Shawnee HS) and junior Jen Wagner (Riegelsville, PA/Wilson HS).  Mullins was an All-MAC Second Team All-Star with a 13th place finish and All-Mideast Region and All-Freshman Mideast Region runner with a season best time of 19:01.91, good enough for 14th place.  McGarvie was 14th at the MAC race to earn All-MAC Second Team accolades and she was 25th at the regional meet to earn All-Mideast Region and All-Freshman Mideast Region runner with a season best time of 19:18.53.  Wagner was 12th in the MAC meet, earning All-Conference Second Team honors and 28th in the region in 19:22.93, her best time of the year, to earn All-Mideast Region accolades.